The present invention relates to communication between users in diverse communication systems, and more particularly, to providing a broadband communication system including an Internet Protocol Telephony Network and public switched telephone network.
Present day telephony voice networks, have a network built around circuit switches, end offices, a toll network, tandem switches, and twisted wires. These voice networks are referred to as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or plain old telephone service (POTS). Due to bandwidth limitations of plain old telephone service (POTS), there is an inherent inability to efficiently integrate multiple types of media such as telephony, data communication for personal computers (PC), and television (TV) broadcasts. Accordingly, a new broadband architecture is required. This new architecture gives rise to a new array of user services.
Subscribers may want to change IP service providers, but they may not want to change IP telephone numbers. There is a need for a way to allow IP subscribers to keep their existing IP telephone numbers when subscribers switch to different IP service providers.
Aspects of the invention include to providing broadband access capabilities or enhanced services for use in conjunction with a packetized network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure.
Other aspects of the invention include providing one or more of the following either individually, or in any combination or subcombination:
a new broadband architecture;
broadband network capabilities, including local access;
enhanced services for use in conjunction with a packetized network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure;
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies cited above by allowing subscribers to change service providers while keeping their existing IP telephone numbers.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for porting a subscriber""s telephone directory number from a first service provider network to a second service provider network in an IP telephone network is disclosed. An IP Local Number Portability database is notified of the change from the first service provider to the second service provider. The database is updated with a new IP address associated with the new subscriber""s service provider network. When a call is made, a database query is initiated for each call to the subscriber. An updated routing table is then sent to an originating Broadband Residential Gateway to direct IP packets to the updated IP address.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for connecting a call in an IP telephony system is disclosed. A dialed unique identifier is routed to a network device that determines whether the dialed unique identifier has been ported. If the dialed unique identifier has not been ported, the network device attempts to connect the call to the dialed unique identifier. If the dialed unique identifier has been ported, new routing information is sent from a database to the network device. The network device then attempts to connect the call using the new routing information.